The Dragonborn, the Brave, and the Eclipsed (Rewrite)
by Dragongod Eclipsen
Summary: Nayla is an Imperial Legate who has served her time in the army and been on enough adventures to make her legs fall off. Now, on her latest dungeon dive, she and her good friend Inigo discover something that could be groundbreaking for Skyrim.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! Author here. Welcome to the revised and rewritten version of this fic. The last one didn't really perform to my now older and slightly better standards.

Those who stuck with the older version of the fic will notice some similarities that I decided to keep, like the implementation of the various mods I've used into the story.

One of my reviews asked for my load order, and while I don't have my console on me to check, here are some of the mods I will be using in this fic. Many of them will get fairly important roles, but not all of them.

Mods include:

Konahrik's Accoutrements

Scottish Basket Hilt Broadswords II

Inigo the Companion

Alrernate Start - Live Another Life

Cheat Room

Unique Uniques by InsanitySorrow

Cloaks of Skyrim

Face Masks of Skyrim

Dragonspear - Craftable

Wearable Lanterns

Katana Crafting

Vampires and Magic

Bandolier: Bags and Pouches

VioLens

Campfire: Complete Camping System

Immersive Citizens - AI Overhaul

Oh jeez, looking at it now I realise just how many mods I use every day. But with these mods, the world of Skyrim that is in this story is somewhat different from normal.

Vampires and Magic makes it so Vampires grow with power when they feed instead of weakening. This also applies to the story, where I will portray them as incredbly powerful even if they are starving.

VioLens gives me an excuse to have characters pull off ridiculous and brutal finishers whenever I want. That is pretty much it.

Anyway, now that you have an idea of what things will be like in this fic, Onward with the Story!

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Nayla huffed as she trudged her way through the thick northern Skyrim snow. Her red hair blew wildly in the hood of her cloak, occasionally smacking the Nord woman in the face. Her map was strapped firmly to the left side of her steel plate armor and her steel war axe on the other side.

Inigo, Nayla's good friend, trailed behind her. Luckily for him, his Deadric armor kept him fairly warm along with his fur underneath the plate and the cloak wrapped around his shoulder plates. A Daedric Basket Hilt Broadsword was strapped to the azure colored Khajiit's hip, and his bow was resting on his back underneath the cloak.

The snow was intense, just bordering on a blizzard. The two could see just far enough in front of them that they could make out certain objects in the wind, like the Nordic Ruins that they had made their way towards.

"How much farther is it?"

Inigo asked, his hood almost blowing down in the wind. Nayla stopped her trek for a moment, planting her boot firmly into the two foot high snow in order to keep her balance in the wind. She pulled the map from her waist and unrolled it, making sure to keep a solid grip on it.

Inigo looked over his companion's shoulder as the magical arrow appeared on the map, showing exactly where they were in Skyrim. The small marker that Nayla had placed on the Nordic ruins was northwest of their position, perhaps about a mile and a half away.

She proceeded to angrily shove the map closed, transfering the now crumpled parchment into her right hand. She quickly scanned around the snow covered area, her pale blue eyes hiding behind them a fire that could melt the blizzard away if the world let it.

Inigo lifted his hand to cover his mouth as he coughed, forcing some of the air out of his lungs and requiring a deeper breath than normal to replace the oxygen.

"Inigo, don't get sick. I'm already conserving Magicka as it is. I need to visit the Cheat Room for potions later."

Nayla muttered the last sentence, as a small reminder to herself. Inigo used the hand he had on his mouth to wave away his friend's worry as he responded.

"You do not need to worry about me, friend. I assure you, I am fine."

Nayla nodded as she rolled the map back up properly, being careful as she did so to prevent it from flying away in the wind before stuffing it back into her belt loop. Inigo took a few steps forward, taking a place standing next to his friend as the blizzard whipped away at the snow covered area.

Nayla pulled her cloak closer around her, trying to forget the fact that she had forgone adding warm insulation to her steel plate armor. Even for a Nord, certain conditions are simply too cold for comfort. She then restarted her movement, making the snow crunch beneath her far more resilient boots.

Inigo followed closely, as he would rather not loose his friend in the blizzard. Though it was fun to be summoned by the spell made by Langely, it did make Inigo worry about his companion when she was alone.

They continued their trek, passing by a few large piles of snow as they went. The blizzard also began to wane as they moved, adding a few more feet to their vision.

A few solid minutes of travel later, the sun began to peek out through the clouds. Like a small ray of sunshine through a layer of storm clouds, it sent a huge pillar of sunlight shining down onto the snowy landscape.

Nayla stopped as the beam hit something in the distance, her cloak billowing slightly in the lessening wind. Inigo stopped in response, once again looking around his companion to see what exactly she was seeing.

The beam of sunlight was shining down upon the very Nordic Ruins that they had set out to find. It was like the Nine Divines themselves had gotten fed up with the long journey and decided to outright reveal the location of the ruins to the pair.

"Ooooh, it's beautiful!"

Inigo muttered, his feline eyes widening like dinner plates in response to the amazing view. Nayla gave a relived sigh and placed her hand on her hip, mostly out of a need to rest rather than any statement about her own personality. They stood still for a moment, watching as sun beam lingered on the ruins despite the clouds moving almost unnaturally quickly in the sky.

Eventually, Nayla felt that they had drank in the atmosphere enough and made a gesture to follow with her hand. Inigo looked at his friend for a moment, slightly disappointed that he couldn't look at the view longer before following. The small snowy hill they were on made them move a bit faster towards the ruins, but not much faster than they were previously traveling.

It didn't take long for the sunbeam to be eaten away by the moving clouds, nor did it take long for the two to finally reach the ruins. They stepped onto the old stone that made up the ruin doorstep, accepting the active change in foothold terrain with a slight pep in their step. It was already a small victory to reach the ruins themselves, and now they had more to look forward to.

Nayla stopped in front of the old, nordic iron door, her hands planted firmly on her hips and a triumphant smirk on her lips. Inigo stood behind her, brushing off bits of snow that had collected on his shoulder plates.

"Well Inigo, ready for another delve into the unknown?"

"I hope we don't run into any more undead. I hate those guys."

Nayla gave a snort in response to the statement as she crossed her arms. Inigo shivered at bit as he remembered his worst encounter with the Draugr, and the one that had gave him his scar.

"Yeah, I hate 'em too. But I'll protect you, Puss in Boots."

Inigo groaned at the nickname, but held his tongue. He doubted he could get his friend to stop teasing when she was in a good mood.

Nayla chuckled as she reached forward and shoved the iron doors open, making a horrible scraping sound as the iron dragged itself across the stone floor.

Nayla stepped forward almost immediately, her hand hovering over her steel war axe out of both habit and caution. She would rather not end up chomped into by a Draugr hiding behind a corner.

Inigo followed closely behind, his hand actively grabbing the grip of his sword.

Nayla scanned the first chamber of the ruins carefully, looking for the coffins known to hold Draugr or maybe even the Vampires that sometimes holed up in them as well.

The first chamber was a large room, lit by torches on the walls and a large chandelier hanging from the cieling. A large iron gate stood at the other side of the room, with a chain lever hanging out of the wall mounted mechanism next to it.

None of the usual coffins were in the room, only a few embalming jars and a stone made table on the left side of the room.

Nayla lowered her guard a bit as she stepped slowly into the room, her hand still hovering closely around her axe. Inigo actively relaxed, returning to his normal straight standing position. He still held the handle of his sword though, more out of habit than anything.

"Weird... Normally the first room is filled with coffins."

Inigo muttered as he swiveled on his heel, inspecting the room with his cat eyes. They could spot inconsistencies better than Nayla's could, but there were things that both of them missed at times.

"Come on. I doubt the next room will be similar."

Nayla said as he walked quickly towards the iron gate at the other side of the room. Inigo followed, his cat eyes now trained to search for the draugr coffins when they could.

As they walked towards the gate, Nayla pulled one of the torches off the wall and handed it to Inigo, who took it in his left hand. Nayla pulled another small stick of wood from a small holder at the back of her belt, lighting it on another torch sconce.

Nayla pulled the chain on the wall, listening as the mechanisms clicked and the iron gate slid upward with a loud clank as it locked into place. The stairs weren't very far down, maybe around four feet worth of distance downward.

The two moved onward, descending the stairs warily. Inigo looked at the small lines carved into the stairwell walls, noticing that these carvings looked slightly different from the other tombs. Like the marks had been rushed in some way during construction.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted by another iron gate. Nayla stood a bit closer to the gate, peeking through the admittedly large spacings between bars. Through them, she could see a large number of Draugr coffins built into the wall, floor and even hanging from the ceiling alongside a chandelier.

"Hey Inigo?"

"Yes, my friend?"

"Get ready."

"Draugr?"

"Yes. And lots of them."

Inigo's ears dipped backward in slight fear and hesitation. He really didn't like undead, but he wanted to keep his friend safe. He quickly lifted his bow over his cloak and body before re-adjusting it to fit over his cloak, for easy access. He then drew his sword in preparation.

Nayla did the same with her axe, holding it firmly in her right hand. She balanced the torch in her left, for both quick hits with the fire and for parrying in dire situations. She reached over and hooked the ring at the end of the chain, pulling it down and activating the mechanism for the iron gate.

As the gate slid open, the two stepped forward slowly, their eyes focusing on many of the coffins at once. The first step into the room yielded no response. Neither did the second. The third followed suit, resulting in nothing.

"Maybe-"

Inigo started before being cut off by one of the coffins in the floor exploding outward, releasing the Draugr from it's resting place. Inigo, admittedly, jumped at the sudden sound. Nayla was seemingly ready for the event, holding her axe at the ready as the Draugr crawled out of it's coffin.

"Nevermind."

Inigo said as he sheathed his sword and drew his bow, pulling an arrow from the sheath on the back of his waist. Wearing a cloak made holding the arrows on the back both inefficient and uncomfortable.

Another coffin popped open, this time one of the many that were embedded into the walls. Then a third, fourth and fifth. Soon, the pair were facing down eight Draugr, each ready to gut them with their swords and probably consume their flesh.

Nayla was quick to act, rushing forward at the first Draugr that had risen from it's grave. She brought her axe upward, swinging downward before the poor Draugr could react. The axe bit deep into the the rotten shoulder of the undead, drawing a loud groan from the creature before Nayla brought up her foot and kicked the Draugr off of her axe.

She threw the torch at another Draugr before stomping on the hilt of the ancient Nord sword that the Draugr she had killed dropped, sending the blade upward and allowing her to snatch it from the air.

A Draugr began to rush the Nord woman from her left, only to receive an arrow to it's temple in the process. The undead promptly gave out and ate the stone floor.

Nayla ducked as a Draugr attempted to decapitate her before pulling her left arm back and plunging the ancient nordic sword into the undead creature's gut and ripping it to the side.

Inigo also dodged as a Draugr tried to rush him, making the Khajiit step to the left and let loose an arrow straight into the back of the Draugr's skull. The undead then followed in it's comrades footsteps and face planted.

Nayla ripped the sword out of her enemy just in time to knock away an attack before following up with a swing from her axe, chopping off the offending limb and effectively killing the Draugr who attempted it.

Inigo loosed another arrow, killing a Draugr as it lifted it's greatsword. He was then forced to drop his bow and draw his sword just in time to block a downward cut from a Draugr he had failed to spot on the edge of his vision.

Nayla ripped her axe out of another undead before whirling around and delivering another cut to a Draugr attempting to stab her in the back. The strike removed the head from the creature, making it fall limply onto the floor.

"My friend! I am in a bit of a pickle!"

Nayla's mind seem to kick into overdrive when she heard Inigo call for help as she proceeded to slam her sword into the nearest Draugr, cutting through the iron helm it was wearing and splitting it's skull open. She abandoned the sword and rushed towards Inigo, leaping as she swung her axe downward and chopped into the back of the Draugr who was trying to break Inigo's guard.

The furious Nord woman hauled the Draugr back with her axe before tearing the weapon from it's body and swinging it again, this time cutting deeply into the neck of the Draugr and almost severing it's head from the body. Nayla growled as the Draugr tumbled to the ground. Her edge alignment had been off, something that she had been trained to keep straight at all times.

Inigo quickly dropped his sword and retrieved his bow, knocking and releasing and arrow just in time to catch a Draugr in the throat and stop it's advance towards his companion. Nayla reacted after the fact, turning towards where the Draugr had rushed her from after it had already hit the floor.

"We must focus, my friend."

"Sorry. Mind if I borrow your sword?"

"Not at all."

Nayla nodded as she reached over and lifted the Daedric broadsword from where her companion had dropped it, dual wielding both her axe and the sword. Inigo pulled another arrow back into the string of his bow and lowered onto one knee as Nayla fell back into a position beside him.

Four Draugr remained along with the three more that were bursting out of their coffins. Not enough to overwhelm Inigo and Nayla together, but they knew getting separated meant death for the both of them.

Inigo released an arrow into the nearest Draugr, allowing Nayla to rush forward and drive the broadsword into the forehead of another enemy. She left the sword there for a moment as she dodged out of the way of another Draugr's own axe. She responded by slamming her axe into the Draugr's shoulder, breaking the bone and sending the undead to the floor.

Inigo released another arrow at the Draugr that Nayla had downed, hitting the poor creature in the temple and sending it back to the afterlife. He drew another arrow as quickly as he had loosed the previous, sending another into the forehead of a Draugr headed for Inigo himself.

Nayla ripped Inigo's sword out of the face of the Draugr she had left it in before using it to block a blow from another undead's greatsword. She managed to catch the large sword exactly on the hilt, preventing the full weight of the blade from forcing her arm to give out. She then shoved the blade away and slammed her axe into the skull of the Draugr, killing it.

Only three more Draugr remained as Nayla fell back towards Inigo, who was already pulling back the string on his bow in preparation to end the nearest one.

The two grit their teeth as a Draugr Scourge rose from it's coffin, holding in one hand an ancient Nord sword and in the other a frost spell.

"You ready, Inigo?"

"As always, my friend."

After responding, Inigo loosed two arrows in quick succession. Both arrows hit their mark expertly, killing both of the Draugr suporting the Scourge with hits to their forehead. Nayla quickly flipped her axe in her hand, preparing for the shock that came with striking an enemy harder than intended.

Inigo knocked another arrow just as Nayla charged forward to meet the Scourge, narrowly avoiding the ice spike it sent spiraling towards her. She ducked as it swung it's sword at her head before pulling back and plunging Inigo's Deadric broadsword into it's stomach.

While the Draugr was occupied with the sword in it's gut, Nayla stood and lifted her axe farther above her head than needed and swung downward, splitting the head of the Scourge, cutting into it's neck and partway into it's chest. She then ripped the axe brutally out of it's resting place, sending black, aged blood splattering onto the floor and onto her plate armor.

Inigo simply watched in a mixture of amazement, impression and horror. Amazement at the fact Nayla had the strength to perform such a feat, impression also at her strength, and horror at the sheer brutality of the move she had used.

The azure furred Kahjiit shook his head of his thoughts before placing his bow onto his back. Nayla breathed heavily as she ripped Inigo's now stained broadsword from the corpse of the Draugr Scourge, her arms now slightly sore from the finishing blow she had dealt.

"That was impressive!"

Inigo said as he walked up and gave Nayla a pat on the back. The Nord woman nodded in agreement and appreciation before handing Inigo his sword back. He wiped the poor stained blade off on his cloak before sheathing it.

Nayla sheathed her war axe before reaching into the pouch on her back and withdrawing a small stamina potion and uncorking the bottle. She then downed the entirety of the contents, her face grimacing as she did so. Most of the potions in existence tasted either bitter or sour in taste. Very few of them were enjoyable to drink.

After the bottle had been drained, Nayla corked it and returned it to the pouch. She could refill it later, when she had the ingredients and money. Inigo looked about the large chamber they had walked into, noticing that there wasn't much in the way of chests or burial urns. The room was filled with mostly coffins, most likely a deterrent to prevent adventurers like them from raiding the place.

Nayla on the other hand spotted something just above the open doorway on the other side of the room. A set of runes, similar to those she had found in ruins before. A set of runes she normally saw on a large, curved wall.

"Inigo, come look at this."

Nayla said as she walked closer to the doorway in order to get a better look at the carvings. Inigo followed suit, his eyes locking onto the runes slightly better than Nayla's Nord eyes.

"They are like the ones on those walls."

"Yes they are... Strange..."

Nayla muttered, her thought trailing off a bit as she lifted a finger to her chin. She had seen the runes on the word walls of other ruins, but these felt different. Like she could understand what they meant despite not knowing what they said.

The runes seemed to exude a sense of warning. As if the builders of the ruins had constructed them to lock something away deeper within.

Inigo stared at his friend for a moment, his curiosity slowly climbing as Nayla began to run through her thoughts silently. He looked back at the runes again, trying to see what his companion saw. Alas, he failed to find what she had found after a few more seconds of staring.

"What is it, my friend?"

Inigo's words snapped Nayla of her thoughts, dragging her back to the world. She shook her head of her distraction before returning her hands to her hips. Inigo waited patiently as his friend slowly returned to being herself, as this sort of thing happened fairly often.

"I... can read these letters."

"You can? That is amazing!"

"No, don't get me wrong. I can't read them properly, but I can understand what they're trying to say."

"What does it say?"

"It's trying to keep us out."

"Oh. That explains the undead."

"Yes it does."

"Should we keep going?"

Nayla gave a quick glance to Inigo, who returned her look with a curious one. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back.

"I suppose there's only one way to find out."

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And there we go! How was the first chapter, everyone? Please, remember to leave a review. I'd love some advice or something.

I'm also sorry the chapter isn't very long. I tend not to drag out my chapters so they are normally two thousand to three thousand words long.

Anyway, I should be back with the second chapter in a while. So long!


	2. Chapter 2

As the pair continued to progress into the old tomb, it became clear that the purpose of the ruins was not to house the Draugr or keep something safe, but to keep something from getting out.

It first became apparent with the writing above the doorway, but then it became painfully obvious when they stumbled across the first of the traps.

Nayla's eyebrows knitted in confusion as they came along a set of holes in the floor. By now, thanks to her experience with these kinds of Barrows, she knew that the holes hid secret spears that would stab outward at anything that pulled their respective lever or stepped on a movable plate.

She looked back towards the hall they were standing in, noticing that the pressure plate was, instead of being on the side of the hallway they had entered through, was on the other side. Was the trap meant to kill those who had already plundered the ruins and were trying to leave?

No, that wasn't it. Nayla once again put an armored finger to her chin, her hood now drawn back and her crimson hair flowing down to her shoulders. Inigo stood next to her, his cat eyes spotting more traps in the hallway by the second.

There were the spikes on the floor they stood in front of, the dart shooters in the wall to the left, a large spike field before the pressure plate and another set of spikes behind that, and a few flame throwing traps to make it even more difficult. Inigo's ears dipped backward once more.

They were sure to die if they were caught in all of those traps at once, and they would at the least be wounded by one or two of them. Inigo let out a silent sigh as Nayla ran through her ideas.

"My friend, I hope you are thinking of a way to avoid these traps. I do not want to end up taxidermied."

Nayla eyes glanced towards him before going back to surveying the room. She focused on the pressure plate behind the spikes they stood in front of. Like the other ruins, the trap plate did not encompass the entire floor. It could easily be walked around. But something told Nayla that the builders of the ruins hadn't taken the intelligence of the tomb's raiders into account during construction.

"For now, I think it's safe to just walk around them."

Inigo nodded before walking to the edge of the room and hugging the wall. Nayla followed suit, sliding across the wall of the room to avoid the spike trap as well as the pressure plate that acted as their trigger.

It took a bit of time but they both let out a sigh as they reached the other side of the traps. Adventuring may have given them insight into how to avoid them, but it didn't take away the fear of being caught in traps.

Nayla rolled her shoulder as she walked towards the next set of stairs, with Inigo casually itching his ear as he followed behind. Her steel plate armor needed a long upkeep session as snow and unforgiving weather didn't exactly do wonders for the state of one's armor. Not to mention the soreness in the Nord woman's arms was getting annoying.

"Hey Inigo?"

She asked as she pulled the chain to the iron gate leading to the stairs, mostly to fill the silence rather than to really have a long, peaceful conversation.

"Yes my friend?"

"I'm still stuck on the letters from before."

"I am too. What was this place built for?"

"To be perfectly honest, I have a nagging suspicion that they were built to lock something away."

Inigo nodded in response to Nayla's statement as they walked down the staircase towards the next iron gate. It would make sense to the Khajiit that the ruins had been built to keep something in, and it would explain the strangely large amount of the iron gate doors they were opening.

"I can see it. But what was so dangerous that they had to lock it away?"

Nayla's eyebrows furrowed together in thought. She knew that Inigo meant the ancient Nords when he said 'they'. That gave them a few possible answers. It was the closest to an answer they were going to get until they reached the deepest part of the tomb, so it was safe to speculate.

"That is a good question. Maybe it was-"

Nayla stopped her sentence abruptly as they walked into the next room. The room was huge, yet eerily empty. Only a few stone made tables and large urns filled it. Other than that, it was empty and somewhat unremarkable.

That was except for the large amount of hastily carved letter writings that were in the same language and pattern as the ones above the door from before and the Word Walls of other nordic ruins.

Nayla quickly took a few steps into the room before swiveling on her heel, confirming that the the letters encompassed the entirety of the room. They were even carved into the cieling and floor, as if the message was so important that the carvers had to put it absolutely everywhere to the get the point across.

Something in Nayla's mind screamed that these kind of rushed, scratchy carvings were a huge red flag. But that was simple common sense when it came to warnings. One would be more wary if fifteen warning signs were set instead of just the single, simple 'keep out' sign.

But something more primal seemed to awaken in Nayla's being. As if she had already knew what the letters were saying, even from birth. Like a part of her came from a place where the strange language on the Word Walls was a way of life, instead of just a simple language.

Nayla's eyes began to feel like they were burning as the language carved into the walls began to shift in her head, their image fading into something much more understandable to her.

Inigo set a hand onto his friend's shoulder as she placed her palms onto the side of her head. A headache was forming, but it was more like something within her mind was calling for her to understand what the language meant. Clawing itself into her consciousness so that it could make her understand.

A dull, distant roar echoed in the back of her brain. It was like something calling out from within fog, trying desperately to be heard through the mist so that it could be discovered and brought back to the safety of somewhere else.

And within the roar echoed words.

_'Straag zek nu'_

-Transition-

_"Alduin has been defeated!"_

_The voices called out. Their celebration was well earned and their honor was assured. They had fought long and hard against their dragon oppressors, and the Tongues had cast the great beast known by the name of Alduin into the depths of time, hopefully to never be seen again._

_The ancient Nords celebrated peacefully, not knowing that the word of their victory had reached within one of their most important prisons._

_Chains rattled and the sky began to quake as the prison named Davahro Praan tried it's best to hold in the rage of it's single prisoner. A creature, trapped within the shell of a man and locked behind numerous keys, chains and traps writhed and raged agaisnt it's confines, pulling the metal chains so hard that the entire stone structure was threatening to give out._

_"Alduin is not defeated!"_

_The dark, horrible voice of the creature shouted. The metal armor holding the creature within creaked against it's strength in a succeeding attempt to ward off the destruction of the temple._

_"Alduin cannot be defeated!"_

_The voice roared once more, echoing the defiant cries of the World Eater himself as he was cast into the timeless void._

_The ancient Nords scoffed at the mad ramblings of the creature within the temple, muffled by the layers of stone, metal and chains holding it prisoner. Alduin had been defeated, and none could deny it. Not even the simple right hand, who had been defeated itself, could deny the banishment of it's master._

-Transition-

"Turn back now..."

Nayla muttered as the vision faded and her mind seemed to focus on the world once more. She was now laying limply against Inigo, her muscles having most likely given out when her mind went into turmoil.

"Are you alright my friend!? You suddenly collapsed! I was very worried!"

Inigo's voice rang out, slightly louder than what Nayla would prefer. A full blown headache lingered on the horizon of her mind, threatening to attack if someone got too loud or something got too stressful.

Nayla tried to sit up with help from Inigo, her muscles finally obeying her mind as she came back from her small episode. She waved her hand a bit to try and dispel Inigo's fears as she did so.

"I-I'm fine Inigo. I just had... a bit of a vision."

Nayla said, pressing the cool metal of her gauntlet against her forehead. It helped to dispel the oncoming headache as well as the lingering fogginess of the so called vision.

"A vision? Like the ones I have when Langely uses the summoning spell?"

Inigo asked as he let go of Nayla, allowing her to sit on her own against the floor. Nayla shook her head a bit as she regained her bearings. She tried to think of the right words to describe the experience she had just went through.

"No, it was more like... Like I had repressed memories and they all just... Exploded out of a dam into my head."

Inigo nodded as Nayla moved into a cross-legged position, the back of her hand still pressed onto her forehead and her eyes squeezed shut.

"My friend, if you need some time we can wait here for a bit."

Inigo said after a few moments of silence. He knew what it was like to feel like your brain was melting and your mind was trying to escape out of your ears. It was far from pleasant and if he could give Nayla some kind of comfort, waiting it out was the least he could do.

Nayla remained silent for a moment, her eyes squeezed shut. The migraine still lingered at the edge of her head, but it would go away with time or a potion if needed.

"No. We need to keep going. Something strange is locked away in here and we need to find out what it is."

The Nord woman said as she attempted to lift herself from the floor. She managed to stand almost all the way up before stumbling. Inigo reacted quickly, wrapping an arm around Nayla's waist to keep her from falling fully onto the stone floor.

"My friend, you are not well. We can't keep going with you like this."

Inigo pleaded. She was in no shape to fight that was for sure, but Nayla refused to give up. The vision lingered in the back of her mind along with the now fully translated words written into the doorway and now the entire room. She wanted, no, needed to find out exactly what was being held in this place.

"No, we need to find out what's in here."

She repeated, her speech now determined and not anywhere close to giving up. Inigo's ears dipped backward as he helped his friend stand. He knew that Nayla wouldn't give up. Her Nord blood simply made her stubborn, and if she herself was feeling even more stubborn then there was little he could do to stop her.

"Alright, then let me help you stand."

Inigo once again pleaded, his arm still holding Nayla's waist to keep her stable on her feet. She nodded as she slipped an arm onto Inigo's shoulder. Helping her walk was something she could accept, as she wasn't about to abandon the tomb just yet. Her curiosity had now been joined by sheer, iron will and there was little she herself could do to stop exploring this place.

Inigo helped as Nayla directed them towards the door on the other side of the room. Her vision had seen them flip around back towards where they had entered, instead of where they would progress.

Instead of the more common iron gate door, a large iron door prevented the two's progress. Inigo helped as Nayla decided to simply boot open the iron door. With one supporting the other, there was a good chance that opening the door normally wasn't going to work.

The iron door slammed open with a terrible grinding sound as it slid across the stone floor. It opened to reveal a long, seemingly pointless hallway, lined with torch sconces. The torches were a nice departure from the word carved room, as that chamber held no torches at all.

They walked slowly into the hallway, with Nayla lifting one of the torches out of it's holder and lighting it with some admittedly shabby fire magic. The hallway was incredibly long, as the walk through it took almost fifteen minutes. Granted, their walking speed was severely reduced by Nayla's uncooperative muscles.

Nayla's mind seemed to relax as they walked down the hallway, which bore simple carved lines instead of the strange letters of the carved language. Inigo glanced at her occasionally as they walked, his worry still remaining despite Nayla's Nordic toughness.

The silence as they walked was almost suffocating, disregarding the clanking of their armor, weapons and what was held in their waist bound satchels.

"What did you see in your vision my friend?"

Inigo asked, breaking the silence like an arrow to a glass made pot. He was honestly curious to hear about his companion's vision, as his were more painful and less vision-y. Nayla glanced at the ground as she recalled her vision, a feeling of fogginess accompanying the memory. Like it was a dream that was fading from her mind.

"I... I saw a lot of ancient Nords celebrating... I don't remember what, but it was definitely a victory of some kind. Then, I saw these ruins and something made of black metal held by chains. The thing in chains was... Shouting something about the Nords not having really won. It was angry."

Inigo nodded at the explanation. They were a quarter way through the hallway now, giving them a good amount of time to talk about the vision and determine what it was.

"What do you think it was?"

Inigo asked, mirroring the same phrase Nayla had muttered after one of his own visions. The Nord woman looked down at the floor again, thinking deeply about it. Her legs were slowly returning to their original strength, letting her walk a bit better along with Inigo's help.

The two continued to walk in slight silence. Inigo's worry was slightly lessening as they walked, feeling as Nayla regained her strength and began walking more on her own, relying less on Inigo's support.

Nayla's head seemed to start clearing the fogginess of the memory, helping her recall some more of the vision. Inigo adjusted his hold on his friend, as holding onto plate armor is difficult without one's grip slipping at least somewhat.

"Wait... The thing made of black metal... It wasn't made of black iron, it was being held in a suit of iron."

Nayla said as the vision slowly came back to her. Inigo's attention perked back up as he heard the statement.

"Was it a Draugr or something?"

Inigo asked, trying to help decipher what the vision was showing to Nayla. Nayla herself simply kept staring at her feet. Looking at moving ground helped her think.

"No... It was definitely human, but it didn't... It didn't sound human."

Nayla said, taking small pauses in her speech to form the proper descriptions for what she had seen. It was hard to put what she had seen into words, which is why she kept her journal entries to simple statements about what had happened.

"Daedra?"

Inigo inquired as they reached the iron door at the end of the hallway. Nayla stopped walking for a moment, taking some time to gather her thoughts and prepare for what was behind the door.

"I guess we'll have to find out."

She said, just loud enough for Inigo to pick up. He nodded in response, giving Nayla's side a quick squeeze in a sort of makeshift hug to comfort his friend. Nayla gave Inigo a quick pat on the back in return along with a faint, appreciative smile.

They waited a few moments, with Inigo giving his friend all the time that she needed to prepare. Nayla stared at the iron door with her determined, pale blue eyes. The fire within them had now intensified into more of a roaring campfire.

"Are you ready, my friend?"

Inigo asked after a few more seconds of silence. Nayla took a deep breath and corrected her posture, standing upright along with her companion.

"On three."

She said. Inigo nodded as he slowly let go of his friend. Nayla found that she could stand on her own now, but she would still need some time before she could perform a full out sprint. She took a step forward and prepared to charge through the door, her hand resting on her axe. Inigo mirrored the movements, his own hand gripping the handle of his broadsword.

"One... Two... Three!"

Nayla shouted as they both proceeded to shoulder charge the door. It slammed open with little resistance. In fact, it sounded like the hinges had snapped with the force of the blow and made the doors slam backwards into the walls.

Both Nayla and Inigo gaped at what they saw.

They had stepped into a large room. More like a huge hallway that held a plethora of traps, spikes and deathly instruments, all aimed at one thing.

At the other end of the hallway, maybe a good fifty feet away beyond all the traps, sat an armored, chained figure. The armor made them look hulking, even though they were on their knees and slumped forward.

They only thing seeming to keep them from falling forward was the truly absurd amount of chains that held them. Three total chains held each joint on their body, with three chains on their wrists, elbows, knees, neck and supposedly piercing the armor to reach their spine.

The chains were then nailed into the wall behind them, disappearing into small holes in the wall that the two could only guessed connected to a mechanism of some kind.

"So, think this is the thing they were keeping locked up?"

Inigo asked as be stared at the figure in the distance. His tone was somewhat joking, as they had speculated but never really taken into account just how real their theories (or visions, Nayla's case) might have been.

"Well, I guess we should find out exactly what that thing is."

"I agree, but how to do we get to it without setting off the traps?"

Inigo asked as he glanced around the room for a fail safe lever or chain or something. It was hard, considering that he was more worried about the spikes, ceiling mounted rams and flame throwers.

It was then that Nayla proceeded to walk to the right side of the room and pull a fairly obvious lever, resulting in a cacophony of whirring and clicking noises before culminating in a loud thunking sound that echoed out from the center of the floor.

"Oh."

Inigo said plainly as Nayla gave him a smug, triumphant smile. She walked over and gave the stunned Khajiit a pat on the shoulder before walking across the now presumably safe traps towards the chained figure.

As Nayla walked forward, it became evident that the figure had been chained there for a very long time. The iron armor it was trapped in was black and rusted with age, supposedly just as old as the iron armor of the Draugr. The chains that held it back looked like they had been warped by many previous attempts at ripping them apart or just simply out of the wall.

It took maybe around a minute for Nayla to traverse the entire hallway at a slightly faster walking speed than her normal, with Inigo running just to catch up to her after his zone out.

The figure barely reacted as she stepped in front of it, with the chains making the slightest of clinking sounds to signify the tiny movements of the one trapped in the armor.

Nayla raised an eyebrow at the lack of movement before lowering down onto one knee. Inigo stood warily behind Nayla, his hand resting firmly on his sword just in case. He still had his doubts about the nature of the thing they were interacting with.

Nayla dipped her head down a bit, getting a better look at the helmet of the armor. It was a simple helm with no visible breathing holes or even a T-shaped pattern to the openings. Instead, it was a simple mettle bucket that bore two large holes for sight, and a few faded and aged etchings that were simple lines.

Suddenly, the armor shifted and the figure seemed to wake from what Nayla guessed to be sleep or something similar. The chains clinked as the helmet lifted it's gaze away from the floor, and at the two adventurers. Nayla shifted her posture backward, but remained in the spot she where she had gotten onto one knee.

"Wo... los hi?"

The armor echoed as the words left the helmet. Nayla's mind seemed to recoil at the language the thing spoke, while another part of her immediately began to understand what the figure had said.

She then noticed that within the two holes of the helm glowed a pair of crimson, snake like eyes. The voice itself also sounded strange, like a voice that had come from a great being had suddenly been trapped within a vessel too small for it.

Nayla rested her left arm on her knee as her mind translated what the person in the armor had said. It was like a second nature that her brain was fighting against.

Then, the words seemed to come to her like walking.

"Dii faan los Nayla, ahrk daar los Inigo. Mu los... bovitaan."

She said slowly. The language felt foreign and alien in her tongue, yet also like it she had known it from the day she had been brought into the world. She also had paused at the last word, for she was didn't truly know what the word meant in the strange language.

The eyes within the helm seemed to brighten into a more deep and fervent crimson. The armor creaked and the chains that held it back groaned as the figure tried to move, but failed to fight against it's constraints.

"Ruz hi los do faal Vun?"

The person within the armor asked, it's voice somewhere between hope and malice. Nayla furrowed her brows as her mind clicked into place. The words made sense to her, but the body language and tone of the person conflicted slightly.

So she decided to answer truthfully.

"Faal Vun ol ko kruziik bron? Nid. Mu los vahk joriin."

Nayla said slowly, her mind slowly allowing the piece of herself that understood the language to act and move, like a muscle one avoids using but becomes more advantageous with the use that is prevented. Inigo watched with curiosity as the conversation continued. He didn't understand a lick of it, but it sure was interesting to watch.

The armor seemed to relax slightly in response to the sentence Nayla had spoken, but the crimson eyes within the armor still remained bright like rubies in the sun. The chains holding the armor back began to relax and move slowly into the holes of the wall as the armor relinquished it's control.

"Ruz hi los Dovahkiin."

The voice said, now holding a tone of understanding. The gauntlets of the armor, which Nayla had noticed were clenched into fists before, were now open and no longer held so tightly into balls.

Nayla's mind jumped at the word Dovahkiin. She recognized it, both from her various travels and the books she had read, and from the primal part of her that understood the language she was speaking. It was strange. Like she was recalling the name of an old friend.

"Zu'u-"

Nayla began before the armor moved again, pulling the chains that held it and placing it's hands onto the ground in a sort of prayer like position. The helmet dipped as well, making the eyes inside face the ground.

"Forgive me, friends. They told me you would arrive, but I did not expect it to take so long."

The voice said. It was now in common tongue, the language that both Inigo and Nayla assumed that the person in the armor could not speak. Nayla and Inigo shared a glance at each other before Nayla returned her gaze to the armor.

"We don't know what you mean. We're just adventurers. We didn't even know you were down here."

The armor remained still except for the helmet, which looked up at Nayla with it's crimson eyes. The eyes shifted, glancing at Inigo before looking back at Nayla.

"Then you stumbled across this place?"

Nayla's eyes furrowed before she hastily reached towards her satchel, which was mounted on the back of her waist. She withdrew a small note and unfurled it, revealing to her and Inigo the letter that they had received.

'From a friend' it said at the bottom.

Nayla and Inigo looked at each other for a moment before turning to the person in the armor. The eyes within the helmet seemed inquisitive within the darkness of the helm.

"We uh... Got this letter pointing us here."

Nayla said warily. She didn't know how the person would react to this, but if the measures taken to keep the person here said anything, then it was wise not to anger them.

After a moment of silence, it seemed that the person was simply intrigued as they glanced at the back of the note before looking back at Nayla.

"I see. In that case, I can help you."

Inigo was the one to answer this time, crossing his arms as he did so. His legs were starting to get ancy since they were just standing around.

"How?"

He asked, his tone more curious than forceful or anything similar. The helm of the armor moved, glancing at the chains holding it back before looking at Inigo.

"Release me from my binding, and I can be a companion in your journeys. I am... Not what you think I am, but I have no reason to deceive you."

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Cliffhanger! Who do you think this person is? How can Nayla understand this language? Find out in the next episode of this story!

Here are the translations for the Dovahzul. The translator I use has some inconsistencies so any typos in the Dovahzul are probably translation errors or simple differences in language.

Straag zek nu = Turn back now

Davahro Praan = Dragon's rest

Wo los hi = Who are you?

Dii faan los Nayla, ahrk daar los Inigo. Mu los bovitaan = My name is Nayla, and this is Inigo. We are adventurers

Ruz hi los do faal Vun = Then you are of the Tongue

Faal Vun ol ko kruziik bron? Nid. Mu los vahk joriin = The Tongue as in ancient nord? No. We are easy people

Ruz hi los Dovahkiin = Then you are Dragonborn

Zu'u = I

And there are the translations. Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

"Release me from my bindings, and I can be a companion in your journeys. I am... Not what you think I am, but I have no reason to deceive you."

Nayla and Inigo hesitated for a moment. The voice sounded sincere, and to Inigo, it sounded like it carried a hint of guilt. Just like he did.

After a moment of silence, Nayla stood and tapped Inigo on the shoulder. As the Khajiit looked at her, she motioned with her head to go wait further back. Inigo nodded before walking warily away from the armored person.

Nayla stared at the person for a moment, and the person returned the look in kind.

"We need to talk this over. We'll be right back."

She said before giving a small nod. The armored figure returned the nod before dipping their head and seemingly going back to sleep.

Nayla walked over to where Inigo was standing and crossed her arms. She was still extremely suspicious of this armored person, but if the vision said anything about their strength then they would be an incredible ally.

"What should we do, my friend?"

Inigo asked, his feline eyes slightly watery from the dust of the tomb that had crept into them. Or maybe Inigo was ready to cry about something, Nayla couldn't really tell.

The Nord woman returned Inigo's look with one of honest indifference. She didn't know what was the right answer. This person may have been locked up for mellenia if she were to trust her vision.

"What do you think we should do, Inigo?"

Inigo stood silently for a moment and Nayla could see the gears turning in his head. Weighing the options, the emotions, the morals of the situation. Nayla allowed herself a small smile. Inigo was the one she could trust when it came to making moral decisions. He was like an anchor keeping her from being the mindless Legion machine the Empire wanted her to be.

After a few seconds of thinking, Inigo looked Nayla in the eyes once more. She could see the compassion in his eyes as he said his next words.

"I think we should give them a chance. Who knows, maybe they could be like us. A good friend in the making."

Nayla allowed herself a full body sigh, with her shoulders sagging and her lungs putting almost all of the stress she had built up for the day into it. Inigo also cracked a small smile as she did so. Her actions spoke louder than a Legionnaire blowing a war-horn.

"I think so to. Come on, let's go tell them the news.

With that, the two turned around and walked back to the armored figure, who lifted their head to meet the pair's gazes. Albeit the movement took a moment the chains binding their actions.

"We've decided to release you, but on a few conditions."

Nayla spoke, her voice shifting to the tone that she gave new Legion recruits when they were sent to her for basic sword and armor training. The person in the armor nodded, their glowing eyes holding a conviction that Inigo couldn't really understand on the same basic level. Like it was slightly different than his own understanding of it.

"Daar los wah kos zent. Name them."

The person said, their voice dipping back into the strange language for a moment. Nayla's head gave a disagreeing pushing feeling, like it was trying to fight back against the part of her that could speak the language.

"You must reveal to us who you are, and what your motives for helping us are."

The armored and chained person hesitated for a moment, their crimson eyes flickering lightly in their helm as they looked back and forth at Nayla and Inigo. The two stood patiently, with Nayla crossing her arms and putting on a slightly impatient face to make it look like she was exactly that; impatient.

The person dipped their head for a moment before they spoke once more.

"Dii faan los **Vulokviing**, ahrk Zu'u los do faal Dovah reyliik."

Nayla recoiled as the sentence drew to a close. Her shock seemed to run as deep as her soul when the name of the person was spoken. Like it resonated with her on a level that couldn't be described. It eteched itself into her mind, like it was being branded into her soul so that she wouldn't forget.

Then, it all clicked. Her mind seemed to give out as it all came crashing down on her.

-Transition-

_"All shall know that today, we captured a dragon on the fields of battle. Today, that dragon shall become human to punish it for the crimes it has committed. For what greater fear is there for a beast who considers itself higher than a human?"_

_The words struck deep for the black and crimson lizard as it struggled against the many chains, bindings and spells that prevented it's escape. It roared as the three Tongues, the famed and feared elite of the human rebels, stepped forward._

_Anger and hatred was eteched upon their faces. A hatred for Dragonkind and all that they had done to the ancient Nordic people. A hatred that had gone into the Shout they were about to perform._

_Desperately, the dragon tried to roar agaisnt the inevitable only for the four humans at the side of it's bindings to pull the chains held in their hands, constricting the metal ring around the dragon's neck and cutting off it's Shout before the first syllable was spoken._

_The Tongues scowled even more as they filled their lungs with air and prepared to cast the dragon they had before them into an existence of shame and suffering. The dragon began to writhe even harder as the dread creeped into it's mind._

_The Tongues opened their mouths as the Dragon finally broke from it's chains_

_**"Mayz Joor Kopraan!"**_

-Transition-

"My friend! Are you okay?"

Nayla groaned as her vision faded back into the crypt that they were in. She was once again slumped against Inigo, who had her propped up on his chest. His hands rested on her shoulders, as though he had just caught her from a fall.

Her head wasn't under any strain like it had been last time. Instead, it was more like it had woken from a deep, vivid dream. The words of the person, who she now knew to be not truly human, lingered in her mind and spirit.

Vulokviing

"Eclipse Wing..."

Nayla muttered as she stared at the chained, armored person. Vulokviing stared back, their eyes glowing brightly with the look of a wise man who had just seen a young pupil realise the true weight of the lesson they had taught them.

"My friend?"

Inigo asked again, his tone worried as Nayla tired to lift herself from his grasp. She stumbled a bit as her steel boots slipped slightly on the stone floor. Normally, her boots wouldn't slip on stone, but she was far from coordinated at the moment.

Inigo let go of his friend as she wrenched herself from the floor, her legs slightly wobbly she climbed from the floor.

Her pale blue eyes flickered with a hint of bright, pale yellow as she opened her mouth. Her expression was somewhere between disbelief and betrayal.

"Druv drey hi dein daar nol mii? Druv drey hi ni tinvaak do daar diist?"

The words of the language came readily to her now, like her second nature had come running to her like a loyal hound. Vulokviing, locked behind the armor, barely moved in response to the words.

"Dahik Zu'u drey ni mindok do hin vahzah lund. Zu'u lost ofan mii ney malkoraav do vahzen. Hi nu mindok do hin vahzah lund, Dovahkiin."

Nayla felt something inside of her growl at the words Vulokviing spoke. She understood the language now, but the only thing she was familiar with was one word. Dovahkiin. Dragonborn.

"Zu'u nis kos Dovahkiin! Zu'u los ni bahlaan! Zu'u los nuz qurnen miil!"

Nayla shouted, as she gestured to herself. She could not be what Vulokviing said she was. She had been normal from the day she was born. Just a simple girl who had an army man for a father and a mother and siblings who liked to bicker.

Inigo watched as the conversation began to rage. He didn't understand any of it, but he knew that Nayla was coming into conflict with something within herself. Her posture simply spoke of it. Not to mention her body odor now smelled of disbelief.

"Nuz hi los. Hi kent lost mindok, lost hi ni? Rot do faal Dovah tinvok los malmindok wah hi. Hi tinvaak voth mindah do gein wo lost kiin Dovah."

Vulokviing responded. Their tone was that of a teacher who was trying to tell a student that they had the knowledge they sought all along, but simply refused to acknowledge it.

Nayla allowed her anger to flow as she planted her hands on her head and groaned. All of this was simply too much to process. Vulokviing shifted in their spot, as much as the chains would allow them.

"Zu'u mindoraan tol daar los pogaas wah haalit, nuz hi kent mindos fos hi los. Ahrk hi kent mindok tol Zu'u los gein do laat do Dov."

Nayla stopped for a second. She then sighed, giving into Vulokviing's words. She placed her hands on her hips in exasperation before turning back to the chained person.

"Ruz fun zey. Druv dreh hi, Dovah, laan wah hiif joor?"

Nayla asked. Inigo still didn't understand what she was saying, but if she could understand it then it was enough for him. He waited patiently, crossing his arms as he did so.

Vulokviing's eyes narrowed behind the helmet before their voice rang out of the blackened metal once more.

"Because I have been trapped here for thousands of years. The passage of time is nothing to me, but to spend it within a mortal body and a tomb while the rest of my kin are hunted? This is not imprisonment. This is torture."

Somehow, Vulokviing's words being in the common language gave them more weight. As if he had abandoned his pride and given in to the pain of his isolation.

Nayla gave another sigh. The stress of the day had come back full force, but she wasn't about to leave Vulokviing here to rot. He stated his case, and they had already agreed to take them with them.

"Fine. I give up. You have your way."

Nayla said, her tone now tired and uncaring. Vulokviing dipped their head in a bow, or as much of one as they could manage when they were chained up.

"My thanks."

Nayla waved away the compliment as she looked about the room for another release mechanism for the armor Vulokviing was wearing. Inigo decided this was the time to ask for answers.

"My friend, what is going on? I am very confused."

He inquired, the jar of Mr. Dragonfly moving gently as he asked his question. Nayla met Inigo's gaze with one of tiredness, the bright yellow having disappeared from her pale blue irises.

"This person is a dragon. He... are you a he?"

"Yes."

"He was trapped in a human body almost four mellenia ago in the Merethic era by the ancient Nords. The Tongues to be specific."

Inigo stood stunned for a moment as the information worked it's way into his brain. A dragon? He thought they were gone. Though it made sense that one would be left in a human body. The Tongues? It seemed like something the ancient Nords would do, thanks to all the Draugr that roamed their crypts.

After a few seconds of thought, Inigo came to a conclusion as to what his true feelings were around the situation. Nayla and Vulokviing waited patiently as the metaphorical hourglass flipped.

"That is amazing! We have found a person from the Merethic era! And a dragon at that! And you can speak his language!"

Nayla stood still for a moment before a laugh forced it's way out of her lips. Inigo and Vulokviing stared confused as the Nord woman had a small laughing fit, her hands planted firmly on her knees as she chortled at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

"What? Did I say something funny?"

Inigo asked as Nayla wiped a tear away from her eye. She took a step towards the Khajiit and gave him a pat on the arm. Her smile remained on her face as she did so. Her mood had completely changed now.

"Oh, Inigo. You always know how to make something lighthearted. Never change."

Inigo smiled at the compliment as Nayla walked over to Vulokviing, whose eyes simply spoke of confusion. The Nord looked at the black armor on the now revealed to be male person.

The chains on his wrists, elbows and knees looked to be simply wrapped around them. Those chains could be cut off with some highly exhaustive fire magic, and hopefully just slid off if they found a release mechanism for the restraints.

The chains on the back of the armor looked to be welded onto what looked to be dwarven locks in the back of the armor. Looking at it, Nayla would guess that under the first layer of black iron the armor was much more complex and much, much heavier than it looked.

"Inigo, could you look for a lever or something? I doubt they told him about any of his restraints."

"I am on it my friend."

Inigo quickly jogged over to the wall behind Vulokviing, where the chains where connected to the wall. He began to search for a switch, chain or button or anything if the sort.

Meanwhile, Nayla tried pulling the chains around Vulokviing's right wrist out of the wall. She grabbed tight and tugged on the chains with a good amount of her strength, but only managed to make the chains move maybe around an inch out of the holes in the wall.

"How have you been moving these?"

Nayla asked as she continued to try and pull the chains. She was even having difficulty maintaining her footing as she pulled, forcing her to take steps backward as she pulled in order to prevent sliding across the floor and losing progress.

"Do not doubt the strength of a Dovah. Observe."

The chains then began to creak and groan, making Nayla reflexively let go. Vulokviing's elbows curled as he pulled on the chains, forcibly pulling the chains out of wall. He made more progress than Nayla by far, almost getting to the point where he could stand up on one knee before the chains forced him back into his previous position.

And while Vulokviing made his attempt, the ruins seemed to groan and struggle to contain him. Nayla understood why the tomb was shaking in her first vision, as Vulokviing seemed more than powerful enough to make them quake by pulling violently on his restraints.

"My friend! I found a lever!"

Inigo called from the left side of the room. Nayla glanced at Vulokviing and he did the same. She quickly moved behind the man, ducking under the chains as she did so. She pulled her axe out of her belt loop and hovered it just above the chains connecting to the back of Vulokviing's armor.

"What are you doing?"

"I think I can cut these off if something goes wrong."

"My thanks. Let us begin."

Nayla gave a curt nod before whistling to Inigo. There was click before the room began to make whirring sounds, seemingly from behind the wall that the chains were connected to. Nayla allowed her teeth to squeeze her lip as the sounds continued, her axe still aimed at the chains on Vulokviing's back.

There was a quick, simple and almost missable clicking sound from somewhere in the wall and Vulokviing reacted. The chains were swiftly pulled out of the wall as the man rose to his feet with little resistance, a stark contrast to the almost deathly grip the chains had in him previously.

In an uncanny feat of strength, Vulokviing reached over to his wrist and literally broke the chains on them with a quick, almost nonchalant yank. He did the same with his elbows, tearing away the restraints with little more than a half quarter of his effort. Nayla watched in disbelief as the man reached down and ripped off the chains on his knees as well.

The chains connected to Vulokviing's back the began to twist, the small connectors on the armor clicking as they moving clockwise. After a second, the top chain connected popped out with a metal clanking sound. Then the second disconnected. Then the third.

With that, Vulokviing was free.

Inigo walked out from the small area behind the wall, watching as Vulokviing rolled his shoulders and cracked bones that had probably hadn't been used in centuries.

"Hmm. I expected being free to be more of an exciting experience. No matter. Well, shall we continue?"

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Well, there's the end of this chapter. Boy, this one took a bit longer. Anyway, please leave a review and tell your friends about this story or something. I love this story and kind of wish it was seen by a few more people.

Also I'm not translating all of the Dovahzul this time. There is way too much to copy and paste and most of it has typos and language differences. Either that or the translator I'm using is just really bad, I don't know. I will however translate Vulokviing's name and the Shout.

Vulok Viing = Eclipse Wing

Mayz Joor Kopraan = Become Mortal Body

And with that, Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

The trio were somewhat silent as they trekked back to the entrance of the tomb. As a prison, the crypt hadn't been built with a backwards entrance, as that would make Vulokviing's escape easy if he managed to break his chains.

Inigo took in the full suit of armor as they walked, noticing that it wasn't dissimilar to the armor worn by Draugr and Aela of the Companions.

It was a thick suit of black armor, with the wrist gauntlets being a full cover version of the normal three iron bars of Draugr armor. The chest peice was a heavy metal breastplate etched in a way that made it look like a ribcage. The helm, unlike the other ancient Nordic armors, lacked any kind of facial opening except for the eyes and lacked the two horns that made them recognizable.

The armor also bore full cover thigh plates, something that the female version and Draugr version of ancient Nordic armor lacked. The shoulder plates were practically the same as on Draugr and ancient Nordic armor though, which served to counterbalance the abnormality of the full suit.

Vulokviing looked around curously as they passed through the room that Inigo and Nayla had cleared of Draugr. By now, the black aged blood that fell from the Draugr had once again dried and stained the stone floor.

"I see you two are proficient in battle."

Inigo and Nayla shared a look before cracking smiles at the various battles in crypts they'd had up to that point. Vulokviing once again simply watched the interaction, genuinely impressed by their strong bond.

Nayla rolled her shoulder as they reached the iron door that led out of the tomb, it now having closed thanks to it's own weight. She proceeded to shove the heavy doors open, ignoring the swift, cold wind that smacked her in the face and sent her cloak billowing.

She stepped out onto the steps of the old Nordic ruins, marvelling at the snowstorm that had whipped up after they entered. The clouds themselves seemed angry, swirling in the sky with wild abandon. The snow was coming down in thick individual flakes that made the snow even thicker.

Inigo and Vulokviing followed Nayla out of the crypt, with Inigo pulling his cloak hood up and snuggling into the rest of his cloak. Vulokviing simply watched the sky's rage and the snow falling from the clouds violent movements.

"I see the snow of Skyrim has not changed."

Inigo looked over at Nayla, whose expression had gone from tired to outright grumpy. He looked around a moment before he realised something.

"We did not bring the camping pack, did we?"

"No Inigo, we didn't."

Inigo's ears dipped downward. Nayla was grumpy for a reason now. The magic that had made the map able to transport them from location to location was acting up recently, and walking through a snowstorm wasn't the best thing to do after a dungeon dive. Especially not when two of the participants were tired.

"Where is the nearest village?"

Vulokviing asked, seemingly unworried about the potential walk through what could've been a foot a half of snow by now. Nayla humored him and a small part of herself and pulled the map from her belt.

"The nearest hold is Dawnstar. Then we have a couple ruins and..."

Vulokviing crossed his arms as Nayla rolled the map back up and slid it into her belt loop. She still looked to be tired, but an angry determination had replaced her grumpy hopelessness.

"I presume there is a nearby cave in which we can rest."

"Yes there is. Cave, here we come."

Vulokviing chuckled quietly as the Nord woman took the first few steps off the ruin doorstep and into the deep snow. Inigo followed suit, his Daedric armor catching some snow as he walked. Vulokviing himself then took his first steps into the world that was now alien to him.

-Transition-

"Well, this isn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Nayla commented as she walked through the snow, her steel armor gliding in and out of her footprints easily thanks to it's sleek craftsmanship. Inigo wasn't having as easy of a time, but he was far from giving up. His Daedric boots made it harder to move quickly through the snow, but his stamina made him more than able to keep up with Nayla.

Vulokviing followed fairly easily, seemingly not impaired by the snow in the first place. Instead of pulling his boots out of the snow in order to place them into their next location, he walked through it in the sense that he plowed his way through. Yet he was also going slightly slower than the other two. He wasn't lagging behind, but taking in the scenery before moving on.

"I agree. It is not as bad as it looked."

Inigo replied. The blizzard was starting to let up, but the clouds were still moving like an angry snake in the sky. The snow was also thinning out as they moved, a sign that the snowfall didn't cover very much ground and was probably moving away from them rather than with them.

They continued their trek for a few more minutes, passing by a small tree and a few large piles of snow. The trio remained fairly silent, as traveling was sort of a silent affair for Inigo and Nayla and Vulokviing didn't seem to be much of a conversationalist.

Not long after she had made her comment, maybe around ten minutes afterward, Nayla saw the silhouette of an opening in a rack face nearby.

"Hey guys, I think I see the cave."

Then a few figures moved in the distance. At this point, Nayla recognized the familiar movement of a person drawing their weapon, even from a good few feet away. Her entire posture slacked in response.

"And some bandits."

Nayla added as she reached for her steel axe. Inigo did the same, pulling his bow from his back and preparing to nock an arrow.

Vulokviing then came barreling past the both of them, his crimson eyes glowing just as brightly as the Draugr and reanimated skeletons of the various tombs. The light was so bright that it left trails in the air when he moved by.

"Zu'u fen haalit daar."

Nayla offered a glance at Inigo, who shrugged in response. They then proceeded to haul through the snow to follow the dragon, trying to at least keep up with his speed.

Nayla only managed a few steps before she beheld Vulokviing's battle prowess.

The first bandit had stepped forward, swinging his steel sword at Vulokviing's helm as he did so. In the blink of an eye, Vulokviing brought his wrist plate up to deflect the sword before grabbing the wrist of the bandit.

Nayla's eyes widened as Vulokviing reached back and punched the bandit in the face hard enough to send the poor man outright _flying_ a foot though the air before he met the snow covered ground painfully. Blood was sent splattering onto the snow, as Nayla would be correct in the assumption that the force of Vulokviing's punch had done more than just break the man's nose.

The second bandit gave a war cry before lifting his iron sword and swinging it and Vulokviing. The strike bounced off his shoulder plate, creating a few sparks in the process. Vulokviing responded with brutal and calculated fury as he delivered an uppercut to the bandit's chest. Nayla heard the crack of the bandit's ribs breaking before the poor man gave a spluttering cough and fell onto the ground.

Vulokviing gave a sigh as the bandit stopped moving, having died quickly from the sheer force of the blow he received. His crimson eyes then softened their glow, receding back into their original eye shape.

"By the Gods! I do not know whether to be impressed or horrified."

Inigo commented as he walked past Nayla, who was stunned. Inigo looked at the bodies of the two bandits for a moment before slipping his bow onto his back. Nayla joined Inigo in looking at the bodies a few seconds afterward, her eyes now even more tired.

"Both, Inigo. I think we should feel both."

Nayla responded before moving towards the campfire that the bandits already had set up near the cave entrance. The cave entrance itself bore a totem and a makeshift boundary that Nayla usually saw in Falmer claimed Dwarven ruins.

Nayla then proceeded to unclip her satchel from the back of waist and dump it next to the campfire before plopping herself down as well. Inigo moved over to the campfire next, lifting the the lid from the small cooking pot and inspecting the contents.

Vulokviing stared at the two quietly as Nayla rubbed her neck and Inigo squatted down to try and restart the fire, which had gone out recently.

"Is it not better to take shelter in the cave?"

He asked as he leaned down and lifted the body of the first bandit, intending to move it to a more suitable location where it wouldn't bother them. Nayla pointed a thumb at the small Falmer made wall before cracking her neck.

"That little barrier is a sign that there are Falmer in the cave. And more bandits, if I had to take a guess. So, we're camping out here."

"I see..."

-Transition-

"So what has transpired since my imprisonment?"

"Oh, a great many things my new friend."

"I see. Would you be willing to tell me the basics?"

"Of course."

Nayla sat quietly while Vulokviing and Inigo spoke, her mind still reeling at the words the now humanoid dragon told her. The dragon language was still stuck in her memory, as if her very soul was bent on keeping her from forgetting.

What bothered the Nord was that she had never been able to read the language until now. So what had changed? Was it the presence of Vulokviing that kick-started her understanding or something completely different?

Nayla absentmindedly lifted an iron poker and stoked the flames of the campfire, moving a piece of wood that refused to burn into the middle of the small blaze. The flames seemed to feel different now, as if she had a kinship with them that she hadn't realised.

"Nayla?"

"Hmm?"

Nayla responded to Vulokviing's voice with a simple turn of her head. He was still calm and collected, something she didn't really imagine a dragon to be. She imagined dragons to be fiery, easily angered creatures. Vulokviing seemed to be the opposite.

"Inigo has told me of this Empire. You are a part of it, correct?"

Nayla nodded. She didn't have much to do, so why not explain things? She leaned forward a bit as she poked away at the flames, causing a small, pretty much burnt log to fall over.

"Well, I'm just a Legate in the Legion."

"The Legion?"

"The Imperial army. The Empire actually spans most of Tamriel, so Skyrim and the rest of Tamriel are a part of the Empire."

"When did this Empire rise?"

"At the end of the Second Era."

Vulokviing's crimson eyes flickered for a moment. He was still new to many terms and phrases that were now used to describe time and locations.

"Around two thousand years ago. An Era normally spans around a thousand years."

"I see... Who formed this Empire?"

"A man named Tiber Septim. He is known to us Nords and people in Skyrim as Talos, his deific spirit that is part of the Nine Divines."

"I assume he was also Dragonborn?"

"How did you guess?"

Nayla asked, genuine curiosity now blooming in her mind. Vulokviing was somehow able to tell when someone was supposedly Dragonborn. Was it just a dragon thing?

"Dragonborn tend to be natural leaders and warriors. They can lead many into a hopeless battle and turn the tide in mere minutes. It is not surprising that a continent wide Empire was formed with a Dragonborn at it's figurehead."

Inigo's eyes lit up as Vulokviing spoke. The blue Khajiit gave Nayla a knowing glance, a hint of mischievousness showing itself in his expression. Especially the small upturn of the corners of his lips.

Nayla sighed internally at Inigo's subtle grin. He was far more clever than he gave himself credit for. She had sort of known that even if she didn't tell Inigo what Vulokviing had said, he would've figured out the gist of the conversation eventually.

"What is the state of this Empire currently?"

Vulokviing's question broke both Inigo's grin at Nayla and the Nord woman's thoughts. Vulokviing glanced between them, trying to comprehend the fundamentals of their friendship.

"It's currently under the hold of the Aldmeri Dominion. The Empire was forced to sign a treaty called the White-Gold Concordat, which banned Talos' worship all over the Continent. Unfortunately, the part that banned Talos worship was broken and now the Thalmor have the run of the Empire's lands in Skyrim."

"The Thalmor?"

"The law enforcement of the Aldmeri Dominion."

"And the Thalmor now have power in Imperial lands?"

"Yes."

"Wouldn't the Thalmor's occupation and the ban on Talos worship incite a rebellion?"

Nayla and Inigo shared a glance at each other, slightly surprised by Vulokviing's educated guess. Vulokviing simply waited for an answer. Waiting seemed to be his strong suit.

"It uh, has. There was a Civil War between the Empire and the Stormcloak rebels. The Empire ended up winning out."

Vulokviing nodded at the information he was taking in. Things had changed incredibly, as he expected. He didn't anticipate the rise of an Empire, but that simply made things slightly easier to understand.

"I assume that you were an integral part of that Civil War?"

Nayla now slammed Vulokviing with a suspicious glare. She then noticed that he was the only one standing out of the three, with Inigo snuggled closed to the fire and Nayla herself sitting close enough to stoke the fire with the poker.

"How are you making all these guesses?"

She asked, adding a hint of an edge to her voice. She knew she didn't have much of a chance of intimidating Vulokviing, but she could at least try. She was somewhat correct, as Vulokviing didn't display any sign of fear. Instead, he simply shifted his weight onto his left foot.

"Please, do not interpret my intentions falsely. I am doing just that, guessing."

Nayla maintained her glare for a moment, meeting the dragon's crimson gaze with an unwavering resolve. Vulokviing's eyes seemed to flicker with their light for a moment, as if staring into Nayla's eyes was slightly uncomfortable for him.

The Nord woman gave in, redirecting her attention to the burning fire in front of her. For a moment, silence reigned.

"And it is uncommon for a soldier to have the power to roam about unhindered. Soldiers, even high ranking ones, are normally kept in barracks or forts. A location where they can be called upon for battle. I assume a Legate is a high ranking position?"

Vulokviing asked as he joined Inigo and Nayla in sitting by the fire. His armor clanked and creaked as he sat down, but he looked to be unbothered by it. Nayla glanced at him as he settled down into a cross-legged position.

"Yes."

"Then you have either the freedom or the lack of duty necessary to adventure like you do. I would take another guess and say that it is the former. Or perhaps a mixture of both."

Nayla nodded as Vulokviing finished his sentence. How he had the experience to make the correct assumptions about her position on the Legion, she would probably never know. Then, her mouth spoke before her head could stop it.

"How do you know enough about military to make this guesses?"

She asked, her face contorting in regret as soon as the words left her mouth. It was on of those times when the words that leave your mouth are unintended and your head screams to stop as the words are spoken.

Vulokviing on the other hand, did not seem offended or even surprised by the question.

"We Dovah lived in a sort of hierarchy. Each Dov had their own place in the chain. Or the web, for the chain doesn't describe the hierarchy properly. Sometimes, entire ladders of the hierarchy acted as small armies, and the way Mortal militaries are designed took some inspiration from our example. Soldiers below a higher ranking Dovah followed orders and stood station at valuable locations, protecting them with their lives. Hence the tradition for Mortal armies to occupy forts, castles and like."

Nayla leaned forward to listen adopting the same cross-legged position Vulokviing had sat in. Inigo shuffled forward, also intrigued by the explanation.

"Dov who were in the position of soldiers were rarely allowed the opportunity to fly freely, instead having to maintain their position and guard it despite their own wants. Therefore it is strange that you are allowed to adventure without worry. Even soldier Dov were not allowed the same freedoms."

Vulokviing said, finishing up his explanation. Nayla placed a hand on her chin before reaching over to her satchel and pulling out her journal. She prepared her writing coal and opened the book, dedicating a small section to the information she had just received.

"My friend, would you be willing to tell us a story? Your knowledge on this subject is very interesting."

Nayla smirked at Inigo's question. It was exactly what she was going to ask, albeit slightly more formal than hers. Vulokviing looked between then before nodding.

"I am already aware that you are familiar with the Tongues, so I shall tell you their story from the side of the Dov."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hey there everybody! Sorry to cut it off right when I could've woven a good story, but I had to get this out before the week. I have some plans so at most I'll probably post a chapter during the week and the weekend might be spotty as well.

So what do you guys think of Vulokviing's fighting? I'd really like to hear your opinions on how the characters are so far, so please leave a review.

Oh, and also share this with whoever you think might enjoy it. I already plan on showing it to some of my own friends, mostly because I am really pleased with how this is turning out.

As usual, here is the translation for the Dovahzul.

Zu'u fen haalit daar = I will handle this

And with that, Until next time!


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